Ski attachment for wheeled vehicles



Marchls, 1952 E L. CLARK 2,589,602

SKI ATTACHMENT FOR WHEELED VEHICLES Filed Oct. 17, 1949 Suventor FZee Ea C/ark Cittorneg Patented Mar. 18, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,589,602 v I SKI ATTACHMENT FOR WHEELED VEHICLES E Lee Rae Clark, Spokane, Wash. Application October 17, 1949, Serial No. 121,760

This invention relates to a ski attachment for castors or wheels of the type used upon vehicles such as perambulators used for infants and it is one object of the invention to provide a ski attachment which may be applied to the castors or other wheels of the vehicle and thus allow use of the vehicle when streets and sidewalks are covered with snow or ice. 7

Another object of the invention is to provide an attachment of this character wherein skis are individually applied to the vehicle wheels and thus allow them to be conveniently applied and secured. I

Another object of the invention is to provide skis which are provided with sockets into which the vehicle wheels fit, each socket being equipped with a. clamp of simple construction and by means of which the wheel will be firmly secured in the socket.

Another object of the invention is to provide skis of such construction that a pair of skis may be connected in transverse spaced relation and prevented from moving out of desired spaced relationto each other.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists of a special construction and arrangement of parts, one practical embodiment of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is perspective view showing a pair of skis of the improved construction connected in transverse spaced relation to each other.

Fig. 2 is a view upon an enlarged scale showing the improved ski in longitudinal vertical section.

The conveyance to which the improved ski'is intended to be applied may be of any type having wheels but in the illustration it has been shown applied to a wheel I of a castor 2 and since the vehicle has such castors at opposite sides of the vehicle there have been shown two of the skis in Figure 1, the skis being held in transverse spaced relation to each other such a distance thatthe wheels of the two castors may fit into sockets; of the companion skis.

The skis 3 are of duplicate construction and each consists of a thin strip of suitable length and width which has its front end portion 4 turned upwardly in the usual manner. A bead 5 extends along the under face of the ski midway the width thereof for the full length of the ski. A socket 6 is mounted upon the upper face of the ski midway its length and is open at its top so that the wheel I may be thrust downwardly into the socket and fit snugly therein, as shown in Figure 2. The socket is formed of sheet metal 3 Claims. (crest-is) and has inner and outer side walls i and 8. and

' front and rear end .walls 9 and 10, lower portions'of these walls being cut and bent to form attaching flanges or feet H which are 'firmly secured in flat face to face engagement with the upper face of the ski. Upper end portions of the side walls are formed with recesses l2 and I3 which are out along arcuate lines and are of such dimensions that portions of the hub of :the wheel projecting from opposite sides thereof may fit into the recesses and assume a position in centered relation thereto. By so forming the recessesthey have cam surfaces along their edges and when the wheel is thrust downwardly into the socket the hub will engage the curved edges of the recesses and thus guided to a position in which the wheel is properly seated in the socket in case the wheel has a tendency to move too far forwardly or rearwardly as it is forced downwardly into place. A tongue 14 is cut from the inner side wall of each socket in front of the recess I2 and this tongue is bent downwardly so that; it projects laterally from the socket. This tongue or car I4 is formed with an opening and skis applied to opposed wheels of a vehicle may be connected by a brace l5 consistingof rods l6 and a turn buckle IT.

The rods have their outer ends formed with eyes l8 which rest upon the ears l4 and bolts 19 are passed through the eyes and the ears and tightened to pivotally secure the rods to the ears. The skis will thus be secured together to cause any transverse movement of one ski to be transmitted to the other and thus maintain the skis'in parallel spaced relation. When the turnbuckle is rotated transverse adjustment may be made to align the skis.

When the wheels are thrust downwardly into the sockets they should ,be held against upward movement out of the sockets. In order to do so each socket is provided with a clamp 20. The clamps are resilient and each formed from a strip of sheet metal which is bent to form a fiat foot 2| and upwardly projecting arms 22 and 23. The arm 22 is straight throughout its length and when the clamp is fitted into the socket with its foot resting upon the portion of the ski forming the bottom of the socket the arm 22 will have fiat 1 ing 24 and against the outer face of the rear end wall is mounted a nut 25 which registers with thumb screw is loosened the arm 23.,Wi1l have 1 sufficient give to allow the wheelgto be thzgust downwardly into the socket where it rests upon the bottom of the socket. After the wheel hasbeen thrust into the socket the thumb screw is" tightened and it will forcethe resilientamaze; towards the wheel and hold the arm in suchiri c .15 the wheel can not slip out of the .socket.. .fljhel; ski will thus be firmly held to the wheel to,which I it is applied but may be easily removed'when" so desired by loosening the screw and withdrawtional gripping engagement with the'wheelthat ing the wheel from the socket' When aski of 2. An attachment for a wheeled vehicle comprising a ski, a wheel-receiving socket carried by and projecting upwardLyifrom said ski and open at its top and having ss'i'de walls and front and rear end walls, a clamp formed of resilient metal disposed vertically in said socket adjacent an end wall thereof and having an arm free at its upper endandfliased towards the said end wall of the socket and-curved longitudinally for fitting about the periphery of a, wheel "fitted into the socket through the upper end thereof, and a thumb screw threaded through an opening in the rear thetim fbved construction is applied to asingle wheel atthe front of a vehicle the rod- IGis' decached ,frornits ear m, or if desired skis which are intended to be used upon a single front or rear wheel of a vehicle may have the ear [4 it e t a I a.

l-laying thus described the invention, what is meqi t .1 4 lg Ain attachment for a wheeled vehicle-cornprising-f a; ski} a wheel-receiving'socketcarried by and projecting upward ly from saidski an'dopen at-lits top'and having' side walls and front and rear end walls, a clampformed of resilient metal disposed vertically in; said socket and-liavingfa foot'atits lowerend and inner and out'er'garms extending upwardly from the foot, the outerarm disposed; flat against an end wall of said sgcket and the inner arm being curvedflon'gitudi nally and having its upper end protruding from the socket, and a thumb screw "threaded through aligned openings formed through the said;end

wall] of the socket and the outerarm andfhaving its inner end abuttin the inner; arm'andflcpnstituting means forfor cing' the inner arm into gripping engagement with awheel fittedinto the socket through the open upper end thereof.

' Number Wall and engagin i'lthe said arm of the clamp to force the said-arm to a gripping position.

7 3.' Anat tachment for a wheeled vehicle compr-iSingLskis spaced transversely from each other, socketsprojecting upwardly from said skis and open at their tops and having inner and outer sidewalls and front and rear walls, the side walls having upper edge portionslformed with opposed recesses of dimensionsadaptingfthem to receive hubs of? wheelsfitted .into ,the sockets through the open tops thereof,sears extending laterally fromthe inner side walls oflsaid sockets, rods e31 tendingbetween lsaidasockets and having ends formed with eyes, bolts passed through the, eyes and said ears and securing thelrods to the ears, the other ends' of the rods being threaded, and a turnbuckle connecting'the threaded ends of said r0681" r E LEE RAE CLARK.

I REFERENCES orrnn H o 7 lie ,followifig referenc'esare'of record in the file of this patent: v v

a UNITED sfra rEs PATENTS 7 Date Name 352,580 Simmons "Nov-1 6, 1886 892,777 'f'oennies July 7, 190

a FOREIGN PATENTS I 7 Number Country v Date I v 583,618 Germany Sept. 6,1933 

